I spent the last few days on my new bike. That's right - I got a new bike! It's a very nice bike and has cost me a fair whack of money, plus all the extras. I have cycled for the vast majority of my life, yet suddenly I am having to learn to ride again. A road specific racing bike is very different from any bike I have ridden before, even my single speed. The biggest change is that my feet are stuck to the pedals with cleats. So now I approach a set of traffic lights as I did when learning to drive as a 17 year old - desperate not to stall the car (or stop on the bike, thus having to unclog or fall off the blasted thing).

But it is a joy to ride and a joy to be riding at speed and over long distances. Yesterday I went for (a relatively short it turns out) 30 mile cycle ride. In no time I was out of the pollution of London and in the countryside pushing up steep country lanes and then freaking myself out riding back down them again.

I would like to quote Michael Barry from his book "Shadows on the Road": "Speed is relative. Victory is fleeting. But the ride lasts forever."